After a day well-spent in Portland, it was time to hit the road.
When we found out Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (where Yvonne had trees donated in her name) was in Oregon we thought: Perfect, flights to Portland!
Fun fact: The forest was a 5-hour drive across the entire state of Oregon (it would have been closer to fly to Boise, Idaho). Regardless, it was a perfect day, the weather couldn't be clearer. It was a cool and sunny September day on the road, and we were on our own time, which is just the best feeling.
Mt. Hood was about an hour and a half in the general direction of the Forest, and Conner wanted to take the classic pictures by the lake with the view of the mountain, but I had a different idea. Bennett Pass: An off-roading trail I Googled the night before, which promised views of the mountain. It was a big bet, but it paid off. We had the Toyota 4Runner, and I wanted to see what it was made of. Stray off the beaten path, if you will. It was truly epic, we just drove through the woods...
And then through "the pass"...
Across the side of a mountain. This was easily the most dangerous part. Conner was more than happy to get out of the car for this part to take the video. He also gave me hand motions to let me know I was okay and not about to hit that tiny cone you can see if you look closely in the next video, on the edge of the cliff. Thank you, Conner!
And finally, the view we've all been waiting for!
And Conner got the picture he wanted...
And one last photo of the car to get the whole picture...
We hung out here for about 30 minutes before venturing on and quickly realizing we should probably turn around and get back to the highway if we ever wanted to make it to our next Airbnb before it got dark.
And here is the POV of the cliff section shown above on the way back. The look on Hazey's face says it all!
We eventually made it out of the woods...*cue the Taylor Swift reference from Conner*...and back on the road for about 4 more hours. The drive through the center of Oregon was honestly not much to marvel at, mostly flatland, no major scenery, so it was good we stopped to enjoy some nice views beforehand. The 4Runner's gas mileage was not in our favor for this portion of the trip, I think we spent $200 in gas just to get there that day and filled up the tank twice (~$95 each time). Wallowa-Whitman National Forest had proven to be quite remote, but it makes sense as that is where you find the most natural beauty (in remote places). The closest place we could find accommodation was a tiny town called Enterprise, Oregon 0r Joseph, Oregon. Combined, the population of both towns together is about 3,000 people. When we arrived, we felt like we were in a ghost town seen in old western movies or something. It was a little eerie, the sun was setting, and of course, our GPS led us to a building that looked entirely abandoned and told us... you have arrived! After a brief panic, some deliberation, and further investigation we found it:
This Airbnb was absolutely perfect for our stay (super dog-friendly, and more). You can click the picture above to check out the Airbnb listing if you ever want to visit the forest where Yvonne's trees were donated. Enterprise is a really nice town!
Next post: Journey to Wallowa with Yvonne: Glacier Lake Kayaking Want to support our next journey in honor of Yvonne?
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